[Dreadhead]

Hey one plus is that waiting to get something awesome is half the fun sometimes

I figured I'd be waiting 3-4 months but I ordered anyway.... we'll see if I'm right.

It looks like Justin is cutting back on some of the products (KGSS and KGBH etc) so maybe his lead times will decrease. Hey that's life. In my industry the lead times on some things are huge.

I'm sure it'll be worth the wait.

 

[PFKMan23]

Quote:

Originally Posted by earwicker7 /img/forum/go_quote.gif But saying that Ray Samuels can't compete with HeadAmp is insane. There's a reason that you never see a B-52 for sale, and that is because it's one of the best there is.

How many B52s has Ray sold? A large lart of the reason why you you don't see that many B52s FS is because there simply aren't that many out there. Most people can't afford a $5000 pre/headphone amp.

 

[earwicker7]

Quote:

Originally Posted by grawk /img/forum/go_quote.gif They're hardly unique. He builds to order. You'll find most 1 man operations do the same. It's a tradeoff that allows him to keep his prices lower and quality higher.

The long wait times are actually fairly unique, coming in second (based on the complaints I've read on this site) only to SinglePower. Ray Samuels is only one guy and he doesn't have these problems.

As to prices... my Blue Hawaii SE (had I not cancelled) would have been over $4K, so it's actually higher than many electrostatic amps. Given that it's a public domain design, there were no R&D expenses on Justin's behalf, so the lower prices comment doesn't really hold water.

 

[earwicker7]

Quote:

Originally Posted by PFKMan23 /img/forum/go_quote.gif How many B52s has Ray sold? A large lart of the reason why you you don't see that many B52s FS is because there simply aren't that many out there. Most people can't afford a $5000 pre/headphone amp.

There's a thread about B-52s somewhere which mentioned that he has built over 100 of them.

 

[Asr]

Quote:

Originally Posted by earwicker7 /img/forum/go_quote.gif But saying that Ray Samuels can't compete with HeadAmp is insane. There's a reason that you never see a B-52 for sale, and that is because it's one of the best there is.

There are two flaws with your argument here. One has already been pointed out, not that many B-52 amps have been made and off the top of my head I can think only of three owners on Head-Fi, you being one of them.

Second, just because something is among the best of its kind doesn't make it invulnerable to selling. I've seen ultra high-end Singlepower amps, HeadAmp Aristaeus and KGSS/KGBH amps, RSA Apache amps, expensive RudiStor amps, Pass Labs amps, et al, in the FS Amps forum. Headphones like the R10, L3000, Qualia 010, PS-1, HP-2/HP-1000, and K1000 have shown up in the FS Headphones forum more than once, and yet, those headphones are among the best in their category.

Your logic does not follow.

Quote:

Originally Posted by earwicker7 /img/forum/go_quote.gif The long wait times are actually fairly unique, coming in second (based on the complaints I've read on this site) only to SinglePower. Ray Samuels is only one guy and he doesn't have these problems. As to prices... my Blue Hawaii SE (had I not cancelled) would have been over $4K, so it's actually higher than many electrostatic amps. Given that it's a public domain design, there were no R&D expenses on Justin's behalf, so the lower prices comment doesn't really hold water.

RSA is primarily Ray Samuels himself but as he'll tell anyone who meets him, plus the fact that his wife has attended large meets with him, his wife is a big supporter of his business, and I've personally witnessed her taking at least 1 phone call for him. I'm sure that helps him quite a bit.

Also, how do you know Justin didn't invest any R&D into the Blue Hawaii SE? The "Blue Hawaii" is an open-source Gilmore design, yes, but the Special Edition is HeadAmp's work, and I'd be surprised if Justin didn't invest additional time and research into refining it, along with development & design for its chassis.

 

[grawk]

Quote:

Originally Posted by earwicker7 /img/forum/go_quote.gif The long wait times are actually fairly unique, coming in second (based on the complaints I've read on this site) only to SinglePower. Ray Samuels is only one guy and he doesn't have these problems. As to prices... my Blue Hawaii SE (had I not cancelled) would have been over $4K, so it's actually higher than many electrostatic amps. Given that it's a public domain design, there were no R&D expenses on Justin's behalf, so the lower prices comment doesn't really hold water.

Unless it turns out that the Blue Hawaii SE is a big step up from the $10k rudistor amp, in which case my argument does hold water...

Anyway, feel free to buy what you want, like what you want, shop where you want, etc. Your money, your time, your choice.

 

[vcoheda]

regardless of the arguments presented in justin's favor and most have been ridiculous, the bottom line is that in general there is a substantial difference between his estimates and his delivery times (i don't think many would dispute this) and that this is not something new. all i and i think most are suggesting is that whatever the causes of these delays are, he factor them in and maybe generously so he can give more realistic dates about when his products will be ready for shipment. if he did that, i bet you would not see all these complaint threads pop up.

to be honest, i think justin gives out timeframes which he knows or has good reason to believe will not be reasonably met for the simple fact that he doesn't want to lose business - i.e., he is afraid that if he tells someone it will take 4 months (or whatever the time period) to get a GLite, that person will look elsewhere. while understandable, as this is probably true to some extent, this is also regrettable.

 

[justin w.]

Quote:

Originally Posted by earwicker7 /img/forum/go_quote.gif The long wait times are actually fairly unique, coming in second (based on the complaints I've read on this site) only to SinglePower. Ray Samuels is only one guy and he doesn't have these problems. As to prices... my Blue Hawaii SE (had I not cancelled) would have been over $4K, so it's actually higher than many electrostatic amps. Given that it's a public domain design, there were no R&D expenses on Justin's behalf, so the lower prices comment doesn't really hold water.

I designed the new power supply, circuit boards, the enclosures, and there are real-world engineering things to test & implement that are time consuming and don't show up on the schematic. Designing & prototyping all of this costs thousands and hours probably in the hundreds. There would be less R&D involved if I were to design my own and just use a high-voltage op-amp or one of many simple tube designs

 

[earwicker7]

Quote:

Originally Posted by justin w. /img/forum/go_quote.gif I designed the new power supply, circuit boards, the enclosures, and there are real-world engineering things to test & implement that are time consuming and don't show up on the schematic. Designing & prototyping all of this costs thousands and hours probably in the hundreds. There would be less R&D involved if I were to design my own and just use a high-voltage op-amp or one of many simple tube designs

I stand corrected

 

[earwicker7]

I just got a very interesting email from Justin explaining the delays in the Blue Hawaii... I've encouraged him to post it here, as it addresses many of the points that have been posted on this thread. He gave some very rational explanations which I won't reveal, but I hope he will!

 

[mercman]

Quote:

Originally Posted by grawk /img/forum/go_quote.gif They're hardly unique. He builds to order. You'll find most 1 man operations do the same. It's a tradeoff that allows him to keep his prices lower and quality higher.

I have done a great deal of business with one man operations. For example, I have purchased several DACs from Wavelength Audio. These are hand made and built to order. The estimates for product delivery have always been accurate.

Again, please don't feel that I'm angry or upset with Justin. As I have said in the past, we all have choices. At this time I'm happy to wait for the KGBH SE. But don't tell me that his business practices are the norm. Just ain't true!

 

[Dorito123]

The norm is people ordering stuff like that and complaining until they get it. Some people just like to whine.

 

[MrSlacker]

If I were to quote every post I want to reply to here, i'd have to quote about 30 posts mainly by 2-3 people. Instead, I'll just post one reply.

Seriously, what the hell is wrong with some of you??? Justin himself explained several times about the delays. If you don't like it, just DO NOT BUY anything from him. What is the point of posting over and over and OVER again the same exact thing. I am sitting here enjoying my Pico with my HD-580s and just laughing at some of you. While you are wasting your time crying about some crap that you have NOTHING to do with, I am enjoying a beautiful amp. I called Justin while waiting for my Pico. When I called him, he was charging and testing my amp and getting it ready to ship. What other manufacturer does that? Every company just throws a little note saying "Please charge before use," but Justin ships his amps fully charged and ready to be enjoyed. Thank god we live in a free world where no one is holding a gun to your head and forcing you to order something.

I really hope Justin does not turn into some huge company that could care less about customers. I would rather pay $100 more and wait 3 months more to get something amazing than get something mediocre, but fast.

 

[kool bubba ice]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ojnihs /img/forum/go_quote.gif I, for one, don't get everyone's need to tell Justin how to run his business and how he should hire this many assistants and what not. He's been running headamp his way for a while now, and he has been doing it extremely well. His amps are some of the best built pieces of audio equipment that I've seen and heard and like Grawk said, I'd rather have him keep to his current standards than change it up into high volume and high inventory shop. You paid for one of his amps, so if you're not willing to wait for something as high in quality as his builds are, then stop complaining, get a refund, and look elsewhere. Everyday there's more and more people joining this forum, and more and more people means more business for Justin, so more waiting for the rest of us. Let him do what he does best and leave him alone. He'll get you your amp.

So telling a customer they will get their amp in 3-4 months, & getting it in 5-6 without any contact about the delay is alright with you..

 

[aluren]

i guess everyone's tolerance level for this is different. the way i see it is that audio is a hobby and whether or not i receive a certain piece of equipment will not make or break me.